A groundswell of community support as Habitat for Humanity breaks ground on first Lake City home since 2020

The public, private, and non-profit sectors in Lake City have all had a hand in bringing a Habitat for Humanity build to Lake City for the first time since 2020.

Homeowner Beth Plank has been working with Goodhue County Habitat for Humanity for a little over three years. Most of that time was spent in search of a suitable lot in Lake City.

At a groundbreaking ceremony April 30, Plank, a military veteran with two children, said the experience had been “very humbling.”

“I kind of got to a point where I really didn’t think it was going to happen,” she said.

Things came together on that front over the last year when an unbuilt lot just off North 10th Street reverted back to the City of Lake City.

“It was an undeveloped, city owned lot, and I was informed by Habitat there was a Lake City family approved for a new home,” Lake City Port Authority Director Doug Grout said. “The City Planning and Development Director, Kristi Gross, worked with me to prepare the lot for sale to Habitat for Beth and her family, and the mayor, city council, city administrator, and Port Authority board were very encouraging of the concept.

“The timing also worked, as we were discussing the status of the lot when Habitat contacted us. Many of the other homes in the neighborhood were also on formerly city-owned lots.”

The city sold the lot for $5,000, of which the Greater Lake City Community Foundation provided $3,000.

“Habitat’s mission aligns with the foundation mission of community engagement and community development,” said foundation Chairman Peter Coyle. “Providing housing assistance aligns with our mission.”

Coyle has also contributed in a personal capacity as one of several local volunteers known collectively as the Go2 Team. The others are Bruce Danialson, Arlyn Ohlhaber, and Tim Busch.

A local business and its employees have contributed as well.

On April 30, Goodhue County Habitat for Humanity Board Member Joe White and a handful of other Acrotech employees were at work on the build site, “assisting with final site preparations before foundation forms were filled with concrete,” according to a news release (see related story).

Much of the home is actually being constructed in Goodhue by high school students.

Plank, the homeowner, said the house wasn’t real to her until she stopped by the construction site in Goodhue.

“Is this really going to happen or not?” she remembered thinking.

“And I went over there and there were trusses up, and there was the framing for the walls, and you could walk inside and there was a door,” she said. “I was only there for maybe five, 10 minutes with both the kids and I left in tears because it was actually happening, knowing that the kids and I are going to have a place that is going to be ours.”

As of the groundbreaking, the house move was tentatively planned for May 18. Once that’s complete, there’s a garage to construct and more work to be done onsite.

Prospective homeowners are expected to contribute labor to the build, and they agree to pay the appraised value for the home. Habitat for Humanity structures the mortgage to make this affordable to them.

“Our mission is seeking to put God’s love into action,” Goodhue County Habitat for Humanity said, by bringing people together, building homes, and building community.

Grout said future partnerships with Habitat for Humanity could be on the way.

“We look forward to working with Habitat to provide another homeownership opportunity for a local family in the near future,” he said.

For information about volunteer opportunities with Goodhue County Habitat for Humanity, contact volunteer coordinator Rachel Hauschildt at rachelhauschildt@gchabitat.org.